Applicant engages in reconductoring of high voltage power lines, that is the replacing of the existing conductors or wires with new conductors or wires and the replacement of overhead static wire. During the execution of the reconductoring or restringing process, new conductor or the wire is often pulled into a position previously occupied by wire-being-replaced. The existing wire is positioned in dollies on the support structures, connected to the replacement wire and pulled out utilizing for example a v-groove puller. The v-groove puller provides the tension to pull the wire while also rolling up the wire-being-replaced up on a reel for disposal.
When the take-up reel for the v-groove puller is filled to capacity, the reconductoring or restringing process must be stopped. Typically, the old wire is removed from the take-up reel, banded together and placed in a dumpster for removal. During the time required to perform this change-out, productivity for the entire crew is stopped. Also, since the conductor is wound on a reel and disposed of in a coil, the recycling value is significantly lower since the exterior stranding material (typically aluminum) is not separated from the interior core material (typically steel).
It is known in a prior art as taught by Graveman in U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,412 (the “Graveman patent”) which issued Oct. 12, 1971 for a Process and Apparatus for Recovering Metals from Cables, to separate metal components of cable, and in particular the aluminum strands wound about a steel core, by substantially cutting through the aluminum strands at closely spaced intervals while leaving the steel core intact. Graveman describes that this frees small aluminum strand segments from the core and that these segments may be processed further in a reduction mill. Graveman describes winding the core onto a roll after the aluminum segments are cut away from the core. The aluminum segments are formed from the aluminum strands by notched blades, sized to fit around the core, severing the aluminum strands into segments in an apparatus where the blades may be mounted onto revolving wheels. Graveman teaches that the cable, prior to having the aluminum strands segmented from the steel core, is stored on a roll, weighing up to approximately 2000 lbs and containing 6000 feet of cable, and that in many instances the rolls of cable are wound on large wood spools or drums.
Thus Graveman discloses the use of a horizontal turn table for supporting a roll of used cable, for example wound onto a spool or drum, wherein the turn table revolves about a vertical axis and has a flat upper surface on which the roll of cable rests. The turn table revolves as the cable is withdrawn from the roll and fed towards the wheels containing the aluminum strand severing blades.
The wheels containing the blades are counter-rotating and each revolves in a direction which causes the blades mounted on the wheels to present toward the turn table. Each blade meets a corresponding blade on the opposite wheel on a line of contact with the incoming cable. A cable guide aligns the line of contact of the incoming cable with the intersection of the wheels. In particular, the cable is passed through the guide and fed into arcuate grooves between the wheels so that, as the wheels revolve, the blades on the wheels engage the aluminum strands of cable and draw the entire cable through the cutting machine. As the wheels revolve, the cutting edges of the blades engage the aluminum strands so as to sever the strands, allowing the cable core to pass through between the revolving wheels and blades intact by means of the notches in the blades aligning around the core.
In addition to the use of the cutter wheels, the cutting machine includes a core stripper for dislodging any of the cut aluminum segments which may cling to the core as the core immerges from the groves of the cutter wheels. The core stripper includes a sleeve having a pulley at one end for engaging a drive belt from a separate motor so that the motor drives rotation of the sleeve. The opposite end of the sleeve, opposite from the pulley is fitted with a collar having an aperture sized to allow the passage of the core therethrough. The sleeve is aligned with the line of contact between the cutter wheels so that the cable passes through the collar bore and sleeve as the cable is played out from between the revolving wheels. A pair of generally radially extending stripper blades are mounted on the face of the collar facing towards the wheels so that as the core passes into the collar bore, the pair blades, which are rotating with rotation of the sleeve, revolve around the core and engage any cut segments of the aluminum strands clinging to the core, thereby dislodging those aluminum segments. The aluminum segments are propelled away from the core so that only the core emerges from the opposite end of the rotating sleeve. The core is pulled through the sleeve and rotating wheels by means of a motor that is necessary to rotate the take-up reel at the extreme downstream of aft end of the apparatus. The pulling machine maintains the cable taut between the cable stripper and the cutter wheels.
The Graveman patent is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.